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An Explanation of Slope
By Gary Donat, FSGA Director of Course Rating |
Here's a simple question ... which golf course is more
difficult?
Course A: 72.8/114
Course B: 67.8/127
Easy ... at every single handicap level, the answer is
Course A! Surprised? Many, if not most FSGA members
probably would have guessed Course B. It just goes to
illustrate the many myths and misunderstandings that
still arise regarding the subject of Slope.
Myth No. 1 - Slope is the primary indicator of
difficulty or, to put it another way, the higher the
Slope, the more difficult the course.
Wrong! As the above example confirms, it is the Course
Rating and not the Slope, which is the more dominant
factor in defining course difficulty.
As each score a golfer posts is broken down into a
numerical value known as a "differential," it is the
Course Rating that plays the more important role in the
calculation (Adjusted Score minus Course Rating
multiplied by 113 divided by Slope Rating). Slope merely
bumps the number arrived at from the Course Rating up or
down to arrive at a differential.
To put the Course Rating vs. Slope debate into
perspective, it takes more than 20 units of Slope to
have the same impact as a single stroke of Course Rating
for a 5-handicapper. As a golfer's handicap level
increases, this ratio of the importance of the two
values changes, but even for a 20-handicapper it takes 5
- 6 units of Slope to have the same impact as one stroke
in the Course Rating.
Myth No. 1a - Two courses with the same Slope are of
equal difficulty.
Wrong! A course with a rating of 71.5/125 is about two
strokes more difficult than a course with a rating of
69.6/125 at every handicap level.
Myth No. 2 - Slope ratings can be compared between
courses.
Wrong! I wish I had a dollar for every letter, E-mail or
phone call I have received criticizing existing ratings
on the basis of the Slope only. In short, there is
nothing more dangerous than trying to draw any sort of
meaningful conclusions by comparing Slope Ratings from
one course to another.
Next revision, we will go over the definition of Slope and
what factors influence Slope. |
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